Five questions entering SEC spring practices: South Carolina

Jadeveon Clowney is back to lead South Carolina's defense. (Associated Press)

South Carolina put
together its first two 11-win seasons in school history in 2011 and 2012, but
as the Gamecocks start spring practice today for 2013 they have a lot of holes
to fill in order to replicate that success this fall.

Gone is Marcus Lattimore,
the Gamecocks' leading rusher in each of the last three seasons. Gone are the
top four leading tacklers from 2012, including all three linebackers. Gone are
top receiver and return specialist Ace Sanders and tight end Justice
Cunningham. Gone is the anchor of the offensive line, center T.J. Johnson.

Filling those holes will
be a priority as the Gamecocks open a set of spring practices today leading up
to the Garnet and Black game on April 13.

For those Gamecock fans
who see the glass as half-full, South Carolina returns two starting-caliber quarterbacks,
four starting offensive linemen, play-making receiver Bruce Ellington,
experience in the secondary and perhaps the best defensive player in the
county, defensive end Jadeveon Clowney.

The latest in a series of
previews looking at the opening of spring practices around the SEC, here are
five questions facing South Carolina:

Who
will tote the rock?

Marcus Lattimore decided
not to risk another serious knee injury and left early for the NFL, meaning
that for the first time in three years South Carolina will enter a season
uncertain of who its primary offensive weapon will be.

The returning leading
rusher is quarterback Connor Shaw, who
ran for 435 yards and three touchdowns despite dealing with nagging shoulder
and foot injuries during the season. Mike Davis is the only returning running
back who played extensively in 2012, having rushed for 275 yards and two
touchdowns on 52 carries last year.

Redshirt sophomores
Brandon Wilds and Shon Carson are returning from injury, however. Wilds had
three 100-yard games in five starts as a freshman before taking a medical
redshirt last year, while Carson - who is playing baseball this spring -- missed
most of his freshman year with an ACL injury and nearly all of last season after
undergoing wrist surgery. And this fall, keep an eye out for speedy true freshman
David Williams.

With Connor Shaw sidelined, a good spring could fuel Dylan Thompson's chances of winning the starting quarterback job this fall. (Associated Press)

Can Dylan
Thompson take advantage of Shaw's absence this spring?

Shaw, South Carolina's
starting quarterback for the last two seasons, underwent foot surgery in
January and will miss spring practice. That leaves Thompson to run the show
this spring and further fuel an already simmering debate over who should be the
Gamecocks' starter in the fall.

Shaw brings the experience
of a senior, two-year starter and the added dimension of being a threat in the
running game. But Thompson is widely seen as the better passer, having thrown
for 1,027 yards and 10 touchdowns with only two interceptions while starting
only two games last season.

Should Thompson have a
good spring, it could give him a head start toward potentially supplanting Shaw
this fall. Should he have a bad spring, he could get leapfrogged by promising
incoming freshman Connor Mitch, an early enrollee.

How
will the Gamecocks replace all three starting linebackers?

Linebackers Shaq Wilson,
Reginald Bowens and DeVonte Holloman were three of South Carolina's top four
tacklers last season and all three are gone (as is the other member of last
year's top four, safety D.J. Swearinger). Finding replacements will be one of the
biggest jobs of the spring in Columbia.

Likely candidates include
Kaiwan Lewis in the middle, Cedrick Cooper (who will miss spring while recovering from a knee injury) or Kelvin Rainey on
the weak side and undersized Sharrod Golightly or Jordan Diggs at the spur. Mason Harris, currently listed as a defensive end, could also be shifted to linebacker and freshman Larenz Bryant could push for playing time this fall at one of the
outside spots.

Will
the next play-makers at receiver please stand up?

Sanders' decision to
declare for the draft left Ellington as the Gamecocks' go-to receiver for 2013
after catching 40 balls for 600 yards and seven touchdowns in 2012. But
Ellington is playing basketball, leaving spring wide open for the next crop of
receivers to stake their claim.

Damiere Byrd and Nick
Jones each started a handful of games last season, and Shaq Roland, KJ Brent,
Kwinton Smith, Jody Fuller and Shamier Jeffery will also have opportunities to elevate their status with strong play this spring.

Will
Jadeveon Clowney mask the Gamecocks' losses on defense?

Clowney and defensive tackle
Kelcy Quarles are the only starters that return in the front seven, although
Chaz Sutton was third on the team with five sacks last year and is likely to
replace Devin Taylor at the other end.

Clowney is such a force
that South Carolina's defensive front will still grab the attention of opposing
offensive coordinators even with all the new faces. There was some gratuitous
debate this winter about whether he, as a probable No. 1 overall pick in the
2014 NFL draft, should risk injury and even play this fall - debate surely
fueled by Lattimore's plight. But anyone questioning his motivation could ask
Michigan running back Vincent Smith about Clowney's intensity level in a game
that didn't mean much, if Smith even remembers it.